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There’s a lot extra to Pisa than the Leaning Tower. There are such a lot of cool issues to do in Pisa — this can be a large, bustling metropolis with a thoughts and perspective of its personal!
So many vacationers swoop in on a day journey from Florence to take images with the Leaning Tower of Pisa. And sure, I’ve been one in all them. However on my most up-to-date journey to Pisa, I made a decision to discover the town in additional depth.
Like all different Italian cities, Pisa has elegant piazzas and buzzing native streets to discover. Unimaginable church buildings showcase Pisan Romanesque structure and the 2 Lungarni areas alongside the riverfront are charming at sundown.
Town of Pisa is extraordinarily walkable — I did all of my Pisa exploration on foot — and my expertise was all the higher as almost all neighborhoods are for locals quite than vacationers. Plus, foods and drinks costs are shockingly low, particularly in comparison with dear Florence, when you tread past the neighborhood of the Leaning Tower and Piazza dei Miracoli.
When you’re heading to Florence from inside Europe, chances are you’ll get monetary savings by flying into Pisa’s worldwide airport. That is what I did from my residence in Prague. You’ll be able to fly into Galileo Galilei, retailer your baggage on the practice station, discover Pisa for just a few hours, and hop on one of many very frequent trains to Florence.
It’s simple — one may say Pisa-ey (oh God, I’m so sorry) — to go to this underrated Italian metropolis.
This publish was revealed in November 2024 and was co-written by Adventurous Kate and Hannah Cooper.
Issues to do in Pisa
See the Leaning Tower of Pisa (in fact)
Come on, you’re in Pisa, are you actually NOT going to get a photograph of your self holding up the Leaning Tower?! This isn’t a spot to fret about trying cool. Give it your cheesiest pose!
Situated within the Sq. of Miracles (Piazza dei Miracoli), the Torre di Pisa is the campanile of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta. It reaches a little bit over 56 meters on the “excessive facet” and just below that on the “low facet.”
Enjoyable reality: the lean wasn’t intentional. It was brought on by unstable foundations and efforts had been made to straighten it out. Regardless of its crooked look, the bell tower is completely secure as we speak and people 251 steps are protected to climb.
(And sure, they may straighten it out in the event that they needed to, however why kill the goose that lays the golden eggs?)
Admission to the tower, cathedral, and momentary exhibition prices €20 ($22). It’s €27 ($29) for entry all areas within the Discipline of Miracles. It’s price the additional price to go to the baptistery and the museums if in case you have the time. Tickets can be found on the Opera della Primaziale Pisana web site.
Except you’re prepared to attend in a protracted line, I like to recommend you e-book a guided tour with skip-the-line tickets from spring by way of fall and on weekends year-round.
This Leaning Tower of Pisa Guided Tour lets you skip the road and has full commentary. You’ll get to benefit from the views whereas studying all of the titillating particulars and kooky anecdotes behind Tuscany’s totally distinctive UNESCO World Heritage Website!
Discover the remainder of the Piazza dei Miracoli
Previously the Piazza del Duomo, the Piazza dei Miracoli is the setting of different cool landmarks in addition to the cathedral and bell tower.
Though the tower is the principle attraction right here, the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta is the principle construction on the piazza. The white marble-clad cathedral was constructed within the Latin cross design and was later topped with an elliptical dome impressed by Moorish structure.
Standing on the rear, the Battistero di San Giovanni completes the expertise. Second enjoyable reality: this domed baptistery additionally leans ever so barely!
Development started in line with Romanesque ideas, and Nicola Pisano and his son Giovanni Pisano accomplished the higher ranges within the Gothic type. They sculpted the pulpit whereas Guido Bigarelli da Como takes credit score for the baptismal font.
The Camposanto marks the northern boundary of the Piazza dei Miracoli. This monumental cemetery dates from the thirteenth century and its identify derives from the Italian for holy land.
You’ll get the perfect views of the entire compound from the Mura di Pisa, the outdated metropolis partitions. It’s an important place for images and properly price a climb up there if in case you have the time.
You’ll be able to simply wander the piazza by yourself, or join the Pisa Baptistery, Cathedral, and Leaning Tower guided tour to be taught instantly from a information.
Wander the College of Pisa Campus
Historians consider that the College of Pisa dates again to the twelfth century, however it might be a century or two older, making it one in all Europe’s earliest universities. Exploring the historic buildings of the town heart campus is without doubt one of the greatest free issues to do in Pisa.
And never solely that — these buildings are only a brief stroll from the Leaning Tower!
The Piazza dei Cavalieri (Knight’s Sq.) is the beating coronary heart of the college. It’s free from cafes and shops – and surprisingly, folks! – however richly appointed with palaces and statues.
Then make sure you take a look at the Palazzo della Carovana (Palace of the Elders) to see essentially the most elaborate sgraffito facade in the entire of Italy. Sadly, the interiors are off-limits.
And if in case you have time — the Orto Botanico is a real spotlight! This is without doubt one of the oldest botanical gardens on this planet and comprises medicinal crops. Admission prices €4 (round $4.30) and contains the backyard exhibition, herbarium, and museum.
Stroll alongside the Borgo Stretto
Borgo Stretto is without doubt one of the most outstanding streets in Pisa, connects Through San Francesco with the riverside Piazza Garibaldi. It’s a slim road lined with ornate buildings containing stylish boutiques and jewellery shops, and the perfect place for images of road life in Pisa.
There are porticoes alongside the road that remind me a lot of Bologna and different cities in close by Emilia-Romagna!
Galileo Galilei was born proper right here on this road and also you’ll clock a bronze statue commemorating his work.
There’s additionally a beautiful church of observe, the Chiesa di San Michele in Borgo, constructed within the tenth century over a Roman temple.
Go to the Santa Maria della Spina
The Church of Santa Maria della Spina is without doubt one of the most lovely buildings on Pisa’s Lungarno, the highway alongside the Arno River (sure, similar to the highway alongside the Arno River in Florence!). It’s located on the south financial institution of the River Arno and exemplifies the Pisan Gothic type.
It’s not used as a church. As a substitute, the area is used for particular occasions and momentary exhibitions. On the time of my go to, there was an attention-grabbing artwork exhibit that includes intense, emotional work.
It’s price visiting this tiny church purely to see the decorative exterior (I obtained this picture above from the bridge subsequent to it), and you may all the time drop in to see if there’s an artwork exhibition.
Seize a deal with on the Gelateria de’ Coltelli
You’ll be able to’t go to an Italian metropolis and never pattern the native gelato! Every time I am going to a brand new Italian metropolis, I wish to look on Google Maps for the best possible gelato on the town, the artisanal and award-winning stuff.
And the place to go in Pisa is Gelateria de’ Coltelli — on the Pisa Lungarno close to Borgo Stretto.
Gelati are offered in cups, cones, and sandwich kind, wedged between two crumbly biscotti cookies. The ice cream is as thick and creamy as you’d anticipate from a correct Tuscan gelateria (the Florentines like to say they invented it!).
Flavors embrace the usuals — hazelnut, salted caramel, and lemon — in addition to experimental choices corresponding to salted macadamia nuts, licorice, and dragonfruit. The menu modifications periodically and caters to vegans and gluten-free gelato lovers.
See Keith Haring’s “Tuttomondo” mural
The American pop artwork and graffiti artist Keith Haring traveled to Italy within the Eighties and painted his “Tuttomondo” mural on the partitions of the Sant’Antonio Abate Church.
It took Haring one week to create these 30 interlinked figures, representing concord and peace amongst mankind and nature. It was painted in 1989, and Haring handed away the next yr following his AIDS prognosis.
The mural is a super-quick stroll from the practice station, so this is without doubt one of the greatest issues to do in Pisa after you arrive or on the way in which out.
Go on a meals tour
Get your enamel into the Pisa culinary scene with a meals tour! This Do Eat Higher Expertise in Pisa is a wonderful selection and can present you the perfect of Tuscan meals — with a distinctly Pisan twist.
If you wish to eat just like the locals do, this can be a nice tour for that — the entire locations are common spots for Pisa’s, and sustainability is without doubt one of the enterprise’s high priorities.
Typical dishes may embrace crostini toscani, porchetta sandwiches, and lampredotto (stew made with cow’s abdomen — no, you don’t HAVE to eat it, however Tuscans find it irresistible a lot, it’s price a attempt!!).
The strolling tour lasts for 3 hours and contains roughly 5 stops. It’s capped at 12 contributors and contains meals and wine tastings. Plus, in case you spend longer than sooner or later in Pisa, you’ll have intel on the place to go for dinner.
Cease by Parco Don Bosco
When you’re craving a little bit of greenery and a neighborhood ambiance, head to Parco Don Bosco. Identified interchangeably as Parco Alfredo Solarino, you could find this mellow spot east of the historic heart.
The playground and open-air health club make it a preferred hangout for native households. Look out for the aqueduct crossing by way of the town park. It was constructed within the sixteenth century on the bequest of Ferdinando de Medici and modeled on a Roman aqueduct.
Stretching round 4 miles from the Valle delle Fonti nature protect, the Acquedotto Mediceo finishes on the Piazza delle Gondole. Maintain a watch out for a basin of water there.
Individuals watch at Piazza dei Cavalieri
You’ll have handed by way of Knight’s Sq., only a stone’s throw from the Leaning Tower, whereas exploring the college campus. This monumental plaza deserves nearer inspection and is a enjoyable spot for people-watching.
When you’d wish to dive deeper into Pisa, this off-the-beaten-path strolling tour of Pisa passes the Piazza dei Cavalieri. This two-hour tour takes you down secret alleyways and factors out sights you may miss.
You’ll hear tales in regards to the college, and historic anecdotes, and scratch beneath the floor. After a tour filled with hidden gems, you’ll end on the reverse of a hidden gem, the Leaning Tower.
Discover the Palazzo Blu
The Palazzo Blu stands a few minutes east of Santa Maria della Spina. It’s named for its sapphire-colored medieval facade, standing out wildly towards the yellows and reds of the town, and is greatest appreciated up shut and from throughout the river for a special perspective.
The palace is now an artwork gallery with a everlasting assortment and momentary exhibitions specified by the aristocratic rooms. It’s a enjoyable place to hint the event of Italian artwork by way of to the fashionable day.
It’s open Tuesday to Friday 10:00 AM-7:00 PM and till 8:00 PM on weekends. Admission prices €5 ($5.30).
Try the museums
When you spend longer than a day in Pisa, these museums are price visiting.
Head to the Sinopie Museum (Museo delle Sinopie) to view draft etchings, blueprints, and recovered frescoes all regarding the Camposanto.
The Museo dell’ Opera del Duomo is a brief exhibition of work, reliefs, sculptures, and holy trinkets amassed from the cathedral and baptistery.
Admission to those two museums is included whenever you purchase the €27 “completa and torre” bundle on the Pisa Cathedral ticket workplace.
Elsewhere, the Museum of Human Anatomy (Museo di Anatomia) is a part of the college. Exhibitions of mummies, plaster casts, and skeletons skim the macabre and medicinal historical past. It’s open Monday to Friday and reservations are advisable. Admission is €2.50 (simply over $2.50).
Contained in an historic Benedictine monastery, the Nationwide Museum of San Matteo is a little bit additional afield. It comprises work and sculptures from the late Center Ages, the Romanesque interval, and the sixteenth century. It’s open Tuesday to Sunday and prices €5 ($5.30).
The Nationwide Museum of the Royal Palace reveals regal tapestries, oil work, and regal armor in a lavish setting. This one is open on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings and Friday afternoons. Admission is €5 ($5.30).
Meander the banks of the Arno River
The Arno River flows from the Tuscan Apennines by way of Florence and different Tuscan cities earlier than assembly the ocean on the Port of Pisa. It’s a tall order to walk the whole 150-mile size, however you possibly can squeeze in a mile or two!
There are two strolling paths on both financial institution of the Arno referred to as the Lungarni. These grant photogenic views of the colourful historic buildings on all sides and from the Ponte di Mezzo.
Proceed east and you may observe the Mediceo Lungarno all the way in which to the previous palace of the Medici household in Pisa. Simply over the bridge, the Giardino Scotto comprises the remnants of Pisa’s metropolis partitions and a Medici fortress.
That is simply one of many high issues to do in Pisa at sundown. Assuming you have got a day that wasn’t as cloudy as mine!
Discover Pisa by bike
When you keep greater than a day in Pisa, you possibly can hire a motorbike and cycle to the Ligurian Sea. Sure, it’s that shut!
This firm rents bikes and offers entry to a GPS-based app that guides you to the Marina di Pisa through a community of biking lanes referred to as the Trammino. These simple bike paths take you thru farmland and open fields with minimal hills.
You’ll be able to hire both an everyday highway bike or an e-bike and tackle the “Street to the Sea.” Helmets are supplied and also you’ll wish to dedicate a complete day to this exercise.
Take a day journey to Cinque Terre
Cinque Terre is without doubt one of the most visually placing locations I’ve ever visited in Italy — and it’s really fairly simple to go to from Pisa! Whereas a lot of folks like to go to for just a few nights, you possibly can completely make a day journey work right here in case you begin early.
These 5 villages are linked by a practice and mountain climbing trails. As a day journey, it is smart to hitch a tour. Native guides and drivers are greatest positioned to steer you to essentially the most astonishing viewpoints.
This Cinque Terre small group tour from Pisa features a minivan switch to the city of La Spezia, the gateway to Cinque Terre. From there, you’ll take within the cliffside hamlets from both the boat (seasonal) or practice (all yr).
The tour usually calls at three or 4 cities decided by the climate and different situations.
Need to do it by yourself? You’ll be able to. Take the practice to La Spezia (one hour), then get the Cinque Terre move and you may take the practice between the cities of Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.
Learn Extra: Information to the 5 Cities of Cinque Terre
Go wine tasting in Tuscany
Each area in Italy produces its personal distinctive wines and by no means you’re far-off out of your subsequent cellar door! Within the case of Pisa, you’re very shut the Chianti area.
Chianti wines are deep and wealthy, created from wealthy Sangiovese grapes, the right companion for an enormous bistecca fiorentina. The idyllic hills fill the area between Pisa, Florence, Lucca, and San Gimignano.
I strongly advocate selecting a tour for wine tasting within the Chianti Hills — it’s near-impossible to do by public transport, and also you gained’t want to fret about intoxicated driving. This half-day Chianti wine tour means there’s no want to carry again as you’ll be within the protected palms of a neighborhood designated driver.
It features a winery and cellar tour and tasting of wine and Tuscan olive oil with regional cheeses.
How A lot Time to Spend in Pisa, Italy
Loads of vacationers spend an hour or two in Pisa and transfer on. However there actually is much more to Pisa than simply the Piazza dei Miracoli, and in case you’re decided to sightsee comprehensively, you possibly can simply pad out a complete day with issues to do in Pisa past the tower.
Pisa is a well-liked day journey from Florence — it’s so shut by. When you resolve to do a day journey to Pisa from Florence, my tip is to divide your time between Pisa and the medieval metropolis of Lucca. Lucca is positioned on a practice line between Pisa and Florence (although a special line from the direct Florence-Pisa line), and I believe it’s one of many nicest cities in Tuscany.
If you wish to e-book a guided tour, I like to recommend the Pisa and Lucca Day Journey from Florence. In any other case, in case you solely have half a day to spare, stick to simply Pisa with the Half Day Pisa Journey from Florence.
You’ll be able to dedicate your entire morning to exploring Pisa, after which spend the afternoon within the medieval capital of Tuscany. It’s tremendous simple to seize the practice, so it’s a “pisa” cake! (Once more, I’m so sorry.)
As a result of Pisa is residence to an airport serving primarily price range airways in Europe, it will also be the place the place you begin or finish your journey. I did this on my most up-to-date journey — I flew from Prague to Pisa on an early flight, took the Pisa Mover to the practice station, saved my baggage within the practice station, spent just a few hours exploring the town, then picked up my bag, purchased a ticket, and hopped on the practice to Florence.
Pisa can be price contemplating as a base in Tuscany. It’s way more reasonably priced than Florence, but well-connected by public transportation, and useful for exploring the Ligurian coast, Cinque Terre, and Tuscan wine areas. Pisa is unquestionably a greater place to remain in summer season throughout peak season.
The way to Get to Pisa, Italy
First off, in case you’d like to go to Pisa on a guided day journey from Florence, there are two that I like to recommend. When you have a full day to spare and wish to go to a cool, underrated Tuscan metropolis as properly, I like to recommend the Pisa and Lucca Day Journey from Florence. When you have solely half a day to spare, stick to simply Pisa with the Half Day Pisa Journey from Florence.
Pisa has its personal worldwide airport, usually often called the Galileo Galilei Airport (PSA). It’s well-connected to regional airports and different European cities, although there are not any direct transcontinental flights. Attempt to get a window seat — you’ll see the well-known tower because the aircraft prepares to land!
The Pisa-Mover shuttle service connects the airport and Pisa Centrale Practice Station in 5 minutes flat. (Truthfully, that is one thing I want all airports had!) It operates between 6:00 AM-12:00 AM and prices €6.50 ($7) every means.
There’s a baggage storage place within the practice station the place your baggage will likely be securely saved whereas spending a day in Pisa. It’s manned 8:00 AM-9:00 PM and prices €5 ($5.30) per bag. It’s set a bit deep contained in the station, however search for indicators saying Deposito Bagagli.
Pisa can be very properly linked utilizing Italy’s excellent rail community. Excessive-speed trains take an hour between Pisa Centrale and Florence Santa Maria Novella. Pisa can be an hourlong journey from La Spezia, the gateway to Cinque Terre, and simply 17 minutes from Livorno, the regional cruise ship hub.
The place To Keep in Pisa, Italy
Pisa is a comparatively small metropolis. You’ll be able to stroll from Pisa Centrale to the Campo dei Miracoli in lower than half-hour. There are many buses that may take you throughout the town for cheaper. Trains to San Rossore, Pisa’s second station, take 12 minutes.
- Greatest High-Rated Luxurious Resort in Pisa: The Palazzo Cini Luxurious Rooms is a brief stroll from the practice station and the town heart vacationer points of interest. Decor fuses outdated and fashionable with scorching tubs in the perfect rooms and there’s a shared backyard for visitors.
- Greatest High-Rated Mid-Vary Resort in Pisa Close to Pisa Centrale: Resort Bologna is another choice close to the principle practice station. It’s historically outfitted with terracotta accents and plenty of wall frescoes. There are rooms for solo vacationers.
- Greatest High-Rated Mid-Vary Resort in Pisa Close to the Leaning Tower: The Rif – Boutique Resort is the best choice for the place to remain close to the principle points of interest and San Rossore. The palatial structure and landscaped backyard are romantic and choose rooms have spa tubs.
- Greatest High-Rated Price range Resort in Pisa: Observe the Corso Italia over the Ponte di Mezzo and voilà, the Royal Victoria Resort has a stellar location on the banks of the River Arno. Rooms are furnished with attractive antiques and riverside models have the perfect views in Pisa.
- Discover offers on locations to remain in Pisa right here.
Greatest Time To Go to Pisa, Italy
Pisa is a type of locations you possibly can go to at any time of yr and have time. My private suggestion for all of Tuscany is to go to within the fall, particularly October. The summer season crowds filter out, it’s a good time for meals festivals and wine, and the Tuscany area is every kind of golden hues presently of yr.
(Take note Florence will nonetheless be crazy-busy then, although — Florence, Rome, and Venice don’t have a lot of an low season except you go in January.)
The excessive season in Pisa lasts from spring by way of to fall. As the enduring leaning tower inevitably has a hoop of vacationers clicking their cameras at any time of yr, bumping into crowds is unavoidable across the Discipline of Miracles. When you’re a photographer seeking to get good photographs, you’ll wish to get right here early — suppose dawn — although even then, you gained’t be alone.
Winter is the perfect time to go to Pisa for quiet. The climate is gentle in the course of the day however topic to frosty nights and chilly snaps. Try January for a low-season deal — and bear in mind to wrap up heat and convey your umbrella!
Is Pisa Value It?
I believe it’s positively price stopping in Pisa in case you haven’t been earlier than — and it’s additionally price testing just a few cool websites past the Leaning Tower!
Whereas I solely spent a day right here most lately, I felt like I obtained a lot out of my journey, and it was the right begin to my Italian journey earlier than heading to Florence.
I hope you have got the perfect time in Pisa!
Extra on Florence and Tuscany:
Planning a Journey to Italy:
Cool Locations in Northern Italy:
- Three Weeks in Northern Italy: An Itinerary
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- Information to the 5 Cities of Cinque Terre
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Have you ever been to Pisa? Share your favourite issues to do!
